Celebrating Over 100 Years

History

We Are..

Equipping the Church

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Our Mission

What sets us apart?

Our Alumni

Our Team

Building Upon the past

Northern seminary was founded in 1913 with the purpose of training leaders for the Church. Over 100 years later, we are still focused on that goal. Northern’s vision is to prepare leaders who will faithfully serve Jesus Christ with evangelical passion and mission skills in biblically grounded and culturally relevant ministries.

We are..

Equipping the church to change the world

We are convinced that effective ministry in the next millennium will demand a special kind of faith, one that is committed to the truth of the gospel, unwavering in its loyalty to the scriptures, empowered by the Spirit, reflective of the body of Christ’s ethnic and cultural diversity, and settled in its support of both men and women in ministry.

Don’t believe us? Come and see for yourself.

OUR MISSION

We affirm our evangelical heritage through our commitments to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to the authority of scripture. Northern offers an educational context that is international, interracial, and intercultural for the preparation of women and men who are called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit for the mission of Christ in the world. Our strategic role is to educate leaders who will be personally whole and spiritually mature, Biblically grounded and theologically competent, pastoral, evangelistic, and prophetic.

In partnership with American Baptist churches and in cooperation with the wider church, the seminary commits itself to excellence in the pursuit of this mission.

Northern Seminary has a unique personality.

our alumni

Over

4000

Students have graduated since 1913

30

=

number of countries our alumni serve in

50

=

number of states our alumni serve in

Northern is truly impacting the Kingdom of God through its work of training leaders to bring the gospel message to the lost. Alumni have served as senior pastors, missionaries, church planters, denominational leaders, youth leaders, worship pastors, teachers, founders of movements, and writers.

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We embody our history

Our first student, in 1913, was Amy Lee Stockton who went on to become an effective evangelist and Bible teacher. Nine years later, in 1922, Miles Mark Fisher, became the first in a distinguished line of African-American graduates from Northern. Respect for the diversity of God’s people is in our DNA.

We value tradition

More than ever, Northern seeks to stay true to its tradition, even as it develops new programs and perspectives for ministry in the 21st century. Under our current President, Dr. William Shiell, the seminary remains strongly evangelical, ready to explore new ideas and take risks.

Rooted in tradition with an eye to the future

We are convinced that effective ministry in the next millennium will demand a special kind of evangelical faith, one that is committed to the truth of the gospel, unwavering in its loyalty to the scriptures, empowered by the Spirit, reflective of the body of Christ’s ethnic and cultural diversity, culturally relevant, and unbending in its support of women in ministry.

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Statement of Faith

Northern’s full-time faculty, administration, and Board of Trustees have affirmed this statement as a testimony of their common commitment to Christ and to the advancement of His Church.

we treasure these commitments

Founded in 1913, Northern Seminary is an evangelical community, rooted in Baptist heritage, passionately committed to graduate-level educational excellence with a mission of preparing women and men for effective leadership for the church of Jesus Christ.

Committed to healthy community

Called by God’s grace into sanctified living, we work together to as we live, work and learn in community to develop the fruit of the Spirit. Click below to read about the Community Standards to which every student commits.

Northern distinctives

Alumni Facts

Accomplishments = our graduates have become pastors, missionaries, teachers, ministry leaders, writers, speakers, church planters, and much more

Notable Alumni

Torrey Johnson

Founder of Youth for Christ

Carl Henry and Kenneth Kantzer

First editors of Christianity Today

J. Edwin Orr

International evangelist, historian, revivalist

Kenneth Taylor

Publisher of The Living Bible

Amy Lee Stockton

Evangelist and Bible teacher

Louis S. Rawls

Former pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Chicago

Ruth Haley Barton

Founding president of The Transforming Center, author, spiritual director

Trinette McCray

Former president of American Baptist Churches USA

We strive to provide recent stories about our alumni and their ministry commitments. These are those stories. If you are a Northern alum or know a Northern alum that would be interested in sharing their story please contact us!